Francesca Currie

How would you describe the work you do and why?

I am an oil painter working across landscape, still life, and portraiture. My larger landscapes are often sold online, my still lifes are exhibited through galleries, and my portraiture is created through private commission. Although the subjects vary, the intention behind them remains the same. My classical training underpins everything I do. I work in oil using traditional methods rooted in observation and structure, but I aim to push that foundation into something more contemporary and alive. I want the paintings to feel present and energetic rather than purely academic. I am particularly drawn to colour and to gently heightening it to intensify mood and atmosphere. What drives me is a continual search for beauty in everyday moments. Whether I am painting a face, a still life or a stretch of land, I am trying to hold onto something fleeting, light shifting, a feeling passing, a sense of place. Painting allows me to give those moments weight and permanence.

For you what does being an artist mean?:

Being an artist means everything to me. I have never really known another way of being, and I believe it is what I was born to do. I feel deeply privileged that I am able to paint every day. For me, art is about capturing beauty and tension in the world. It allows fleeting moments of youth, grief, presence, a sunset, or a snowy day to be held. Once painted, that moment is secured. I often feel anxious when the weather is dramatic, or when snow falls, because I worry I am not recording it, that I am not doing my job. There is pressure in that, but also privilege. I feel honoured to give the visual world space. I experience it almost as a duty to witness and preserve it. Because I work across portraiture, still life, and landscape, there is very little that cannot become a painting to me. Being an artist is a need, a compulsion, a responsibility, and a calling. It shapes how I see, how I move through the world, and how I connect to it.

Describe what you call yourself/your practice?:

I am a full-time painter working across landscape, portraiture, and still life. Classically trained, I draw on that discipline to create contemporary compositions that feel immediate and alive. Light is at the heart of my practice; I am continually drawn to the way it falls, shifts, and transforms what it touches.

Your practice & activities include e.g workshops, teaching:

I divide my time between painting, administration, and teaching, striving to paint every day even when other tasks demand attention. My practice is structured around creating focused collections of work; still lifes in season, landscapes for exhibitions like my recent solo show in Malvern, and portrait commissions. Each series allows me to explore light, colour, and presence in different ways.
I teach roughly one workshop a month at The Artery in Worcester, covering abstract landscapes, portraiture, and life drawing. I love teaching because it keeps me engaged with other artists and encourages dialogue about painting. The creative conversations that arise in these sessions are inspiring, and they often feed back into my own work, pushing me to see familiar subjects in new ways. I also give talks and demonstrations about my work.

CV & Education, relevant & leading to your artistic practice:

I am a full-time professional painter, trained in classical oil painting with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from University College of the Arts, Norwich, and advanced training at the London Atelier of Representational Art (LARA). My practice is rooted in the sight-size method and the study of the Old Masters, and I apply this training across landscape, portraiture, and still life to create contemporary, expressive work.
Since 2015, I have exhibited widely across the UK, including London, Broadway, and York. In 2018, I became the youngest full member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, following my associate membership in 2017. My work has been featured on Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year (2021), where I had the privilege of painting Sir Trevor McDonald, who selected my portrait as his favourite, and in 2023 I exhibited in the curated London Art Fair / Sotheby’s exhibition Reframing the Muse, and painted Amanda Holden for Sky History’s Sex: A Bonkers History.
Alongside exhibiting, I undertake private and public commissions for individuals and organisations, including The Budworths (owners of The Lady Magazine), SENSE Charity, Dr John Inge (Bishop of Worcester), and Frank Southam (Sword Bearer of Worcester). I also teach regularly, leading workshops in portraiture, life drawing, and abstract landscapes at The Artery in Worcester, where I enjoy exchanging ideas with students and responding to their creative energy.
My work is represented in galleries across the UK and online through Saatchi Art, and my practice continues to evolve through exploration of light, colour, and presence in both people and place.

Exhibitions in the last 3 years:

Ongoing: Priory Gallery, Broadway | Hunter Gallery, Bury St Edmunds | Lambert Fine Art
‘Hiraeth’ – Solo Show, Elmslie House, Malvern, March 2026
The Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, London, 15th October 2025
The Affordable Art Fair, Hampstead, London, 7–11 May 2025
Lambert Fine Art – Solo Show: ‘Ethereal Landscapes’, 23 Bell Court, Stratford-Upon-Avon, 3–8 November 2024
The Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, London, 16th October 2024
London Art Fair / Sotheby’s – Ruth Millington Curated Exhibition: ‘Reframing the Muse’, 8 works, January 2023

Your gallery outlets/stockists:

Priory Gallery, Broadway
Hunter Gallery, Bury St Edmunds
Lambert Fine Art, Stratford-Upon-Avon
Additionally, my work is available online through Saatchi Art, and I undertake private commissions.

Artwork for Francesca Currie

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